Saint Kateri Tekawitha (known as the Lily of the Mohawks) is the first Native American saint. She was born in 1656 in a Mohawk village in present day New York state. Her parents died when she was four as a result of a smallpox outbreak which left Kateri’s face scarred and her eyesight impaired. She was adopted by an uncle and aunt. At the age of 11 she met Jesuit missionaries and formed a wish to become a Christian. As a result, she was beaten and threatened by her adoptive family and was stoned and threatened by other villagers. When she was 18 Kateri fled to a Jesuit mission in Canada where she joined a settlement of other Native American converts. She was baptised in 1676. Kateri then spent the remainder of her life in prayer, work and penance while praying for the conversion and forgiveness of her family. In 1679 she consecrated herself to Jesus, taking a vow of perpetual virginity. Following a deterioration in her health, she died in 1680. She reportedly appeared to three people after her death. Kateri Tekawitha was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1980 and canonised by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012. Her feast day is celebrated on 14th July.
Written by Paul Cavadino
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